These photos were taken just 5 years apart ... after I became ill due to silicone toxicity. The photo below is my ruptured implant with a dacron fixation patch.

I'm joining other women to celebrate Breast Implant Survivors Day.

I have been ill for 14 years after suffering the toxic effects of silicone breast implants leaching into my body over many years.

Although I'd had several surgeries for complications of my implants, the real illness didn't become apparent at first and it was several years before I started to feel the painful effects.

I became fully disabled at age 43 after first becoming sick at age 37.

It took about 5 years to even make the connection between the implants and the illness. But I was going downhill fast and when my chest wall started burning like fire, I knew I was in trouble and made arrangements to have the implants removed.

The surgeon didn't use the enbloc removal method and silicone was left behind after the removal. It was several more years before I could convince another surgeon that the operative report of "all silicone was removed from the chest area" was not valid. I knew I was still slowly being poisoned, I could feel it! So another surgery was performed and pathology confirmed the gelatinous material removed was silicone.

There isn't specific medical diagnosis for this painful condition although it is known to be an autoimmune reaction against foreign material and chemicals introduced to the body via the implants.

The industry that sells this product denies any relation to the coincidence of untold thousands of women who are sick and all have similar illness after being implanted for a few years. For me, having the implants removed did not recover my good health as I'd hoped. Sometimes I've heard women get better after removal but I had too much exposure and there is evidence of silicone in my liver and thyroid (partial thyroidectomy has been performed). My life is full of ultrasounds, MRI's, kidney/blood/liver/thyroid/bladder analysis, surgeries and pain.

I am so grateful for my support group who have helped me survive this painful –what I call my nightmare. I take one day at a time and no longer consider suicide as an alternative to the pain.

I am sure, like the Tobacco Industry - the truth will come out eventually. In fact, the silicone industry uses the same public relations teams to defer the truth coming out on the dangers of implants.